If you deal with customers or colleagues in Europe, often you may see numbers like this:
- 1.433.502,50
- 9.324,00
- 3,141593
When these numbers are pasted in Excel, they become text, because Excel can’t understand them.
Here is a simple way to convert the European numbers to regular ones.
Use NUMBERVALUE() Function.
How to convert European number formats with NUMBERVALUE() ?
Let’s say you have a European format number in cell A1, something like 1.433.502,50
Syntax of NUMBERVALUE():
NUMBERVALUE() takes 3 parameters.
- Number you want to convert
- Decimal separator
- Group separator
So, we can use =NUMBERVALUE(A1 , "," , ".") to convert number in A1 from European format.
Since , is the decimal point and . is the group separator in European format, NUMBERVALUE() returns 1433502.5
How to convert European number formats in earlier versions of Excel
NUMBERVALUE() is a new function added in Excel 2013. So if you are using an earlier version of Excel, then you need to come up with an alternative function. Here is one that works:
=SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A1, "." , "" ), "," , ".")+0
How does this work?
- We first substitute all .s with nothing – Inner SUBSTITUTE
- Then we substitute , with . – Outer SUBSTITUE
- Then we add 0 to convert text to number
Convert regular numbers to European format
Let’s say for some reason you need convert numbers to European format. Here is one formula you can use:
=SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(FIXED(A1,2,FALSE),".","$"),",","."),"$",",")
How it works?
FIXED(A1,2,FALSE)converts the number in A1 to a comma formatted number with 2 decimal pointsSUBSTITUTE(FIXED(...), ".", "$")replaces the decimal point with $ symbol (you can replace it with any symbol)SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(FIXED(...),...), "," ,".")replaces all the commas with .sSUBSTITUTE(...., "$", ",")replaces the $ with comma
More tips on number conversions in Excel
If you deal with data that needs conversion, check out below tips.
- Quickly convert numbers stored as text
- Extract numbers from text using VBA
- Splitting a number in to integer and decimal portions
- Presenting values in Indian currency format
How do you convert numbers to European format?
I never saw the NUMBERVALUE function until yesterday. I think it is a cool function to solve the format problem.
What about you? How do you convert numbers to / from European format (or back)? Please share your formulas in comments.
13 Responses to “Using pivot tables to find out non performing customers”
To avoid the helper column and the macro, I would transpose the data into the format shown above (Name, Year, Sales). Now I can show more than one year, I can summarize - I can do many more things with it. ASAP Utilities (http://www.asap-utilities.com) has a new experimental feature that can easily transpose the table into the correct format. Much easier in my opinion.
David
Of course with alternative data structure, we can easily setup a slicer based solution so that everything works like clockwork with even less work.
David, I was just about to post the same!
In Contextures site, I remember there's a post on how to do that. Clearly, the way data is layed out on the very beginning is critical to get the best results, and even you may thinkg the original layout is the best way, it is clearly not. And that kind of mistakes are the ones I love ! because it teaches and trains you to avoid them, and how to think on the data structure the next time.
Eventually, you get to that place when you "see" the structure on the moment the client tells you the request, and then, you realized you had an ephiphany, that glorious moment when data is no longer a mistery to you!!!
Rgds,
Chandoo,
If the goal is to see the list of customers who have not business from yearX, I would change the helper column formula to :
=IF(selYear="all",sum(C4:M4),sum(offset(C4:M4,,selyear-2002,1,columns(C4:M4)-selyear+2002)))This formula will sum the sales from Selected Year to 2012.
JMarc
If you are already using a helper column and the combox box runs a macro after it changes, why not just adjust the macro and filter the source data?
Regards
I gotta say, it seems like you are giving 10 answers to 10 questions when your client REALLY wants to know is: "What is the last year "this" customer row had a non-zero Sales QTY?... You're missing the forest for the trees...
Change the helper column to:
=IFERROR(INDEX(tblSales[[#Headers],[Customer name]:[Sales 2012]],0,MATCH(9.99999999999999E+307,tblSales[[#This Row],[Customer name]:[Sales 2012]],1)),"NO SALES")
And yes, since I'm matching off of them for value, I would change the headers to straight "2002" instead of "Sales 2002" but you sort the table on the helper column and then and there you can answer all of your questions.
Hi thanks for this. Just can't figure out how you get the combo box to control the pivot table. Can you please advise?
Cheers
@Kevin.. You are welcome. To insert a combo box, go to Developer ribbon > Insert > form controls > combo box.
For more on various form controls and how to use them, please read this: http://chandoo.org/wp/2011/03/30/form-controls/
Thanks Chandoo. But I know how to insert a combobox, I was more referring to how does in control the year in the pivot table? Or is this obvious? I note that if I select the Selected Year from the PivotTable Field List it says "the field has no itens" whereas this would normally allow you to change the year??
Thanks again
worked it out thanks...
when =data!Q2 changes it changes the value in column N:N and then when you do a refreshall the pivottable vlaues get updated
Still not sure why PivotTable Field List says “the field has no itens"?? I created my own pivot table and could not repeat that.
Hi, I put the sales data in range(F5:P19) and added a column D with the title 'Last sales in year'. After that, in column D for each customer, the simple formula
=2000+MATCH(1000000,E5:P5)
will provide the last year in which that particular customer had any sales, which can than easily be managed by autofilter.
Somewhat longer but perhaps a bit more solid (with the column titles in row 4):
=RIGHT(INDEX($F$4:$P$19,1,MATCH(1000000,F5:P5)),4)
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